New Challenges
by SonicLover
Summary: Ten years in the future, many things have changed. Sonic is dating Amy, Rouge owns a jewel exhibition at the museum, Shadow is a jail warden, and more. But some things never change.
1. Ten years' change

New Challenges

Disclaimer: Janet's character is my own, but she's for lease. Contact me by e-mail for details. Everyone else, well, you know.

Author's note: Sorry for the lag. I'll make a new story right away.

Chapter 1: Ten Years' Change -  
It had been ten years since "the Emerl incident". Emerald Town had developed into a city. Sonic and his friends were older, and had gone in different directions. A lot of changes can happen in ten years.

Tails, for example, was president and head designer of an electronics company, which is an amazing position for an 18-year-old. On this day, he sat at his desk, using a ruler to sketch a new blueprint.  
The phone rang, and Tails answered it. "Prower Electronics, how may I help you? … Hi, Sonic. Going on another date with Amy? … Well, you go out with her every Friday afternoon. Are you going to marry her someday or what? … Yes, I suppose you're right. Where are you going? … The museum's new jewel exhibit? Isn't it run by Rouge the Bat? … Oh, okay. Goodbye."

Like I said, a lot of changes can happen in ten years. Not only was Sonic no longer running away from Amy, he was going on dates with her every Friday afternoon.

A short time after hanging up, Tails finished his blueprint and hit the intercom button. "Janet! Janet, get in here!"  
Only seconds later, the door swung open, and a 17-year-old blue-green fox wearing a tiara and a yellow skirt entered the room. She was _this close_ to violating the company's dress code, but Tails didn't object.

"Janet W. Bernelli at your service," she said, bowing. Janet was Tails' assistant. She occasionally showed a few signs of love for him, which Tails acknowledged but politely dismissed.

Tails adjusted his reading glasses, and then spoke. "Janet, I've just finished some new blueprints. Deliver them to engineering."  
Janet nodded, grabbed a sheet of paper from Tails' desk, and started to leave.

"STOP!" Tails interjected, and Janet returned.  
"What's the problem?"  
"I told you to take the blueprints. The blueprints are right here. You grabbed a crossword puzzle I was working on."

Janet laughed a little. "Oops. My mistake. I'm sorry, it's just that whenever I look into your eyes, I don't pay attention to anything else …"  
"Well, work on that. Save your flirtations for after hours."

Janet quickly traded the crossword puzzle for the blueprints and left Tails' office.

It seemed that almost everything had changed over the course of ten years. As mentioned before, Rouge owned an expansive jewel exhibition that was displayed in the city museum.  
Knuckles was still guarding the Master Emerald day and night. That hadn't changed. What HAD changed was that he allowed tour groups to give tours of the area (just as long as they didn't get too close to him or the Master).  
Cream was running a Chao adoption center not too far from Prower Electronics. In fact, Janet sometimes considered adopting a Chao, but she couldn't because she didn't know anybody who could look after it when she was at work.  
Shadow was a warden at the city jail. He got around the jail so quickly, prisoners had little chance of escaping. The job was also a backhanded slap at the time when the government mistook him for Sonic. I'll give you three guesses who was imprisoned in jail cell 993 (which, by the way, is EGG turned upside down).  
-  
Well, it's a good setup, but I'm still working on what comes next. See ya! 


	2. A typical Saturday

New Challenges

Author's note: No reviews? Is nothing sacred? Oh, well. Reviews or no reviews, I'm making another chapter.  
-  
Chapter 2: A Typical Saturday -  
The next day, everything was going as it normally did (for the most part). Prower Electronics was closed on Saturdays, so Janet was free that day.

After breakfast, Janet decided to take a tour, so she hopped a bus to the altar grounds and signed up for the next tour of the ruins. The tour was fairly interesting, and several people took photos. The photography didn't disturb Knuckles.  
What DID disturb Knuckles was all the junk the tour groups left lying around, since HE had to clean it up. Even the tour guides left stuff on occasion.

When the tour was over, Janet stopped in at Cream's adoption center, just to browse.

Cream greeted Janet enthusiastically, like she did with all her customers. "Welcome to the Chao adoption center. Would you like to adopt a Chao today?"  
"No thanks," Janet responded. "I'm just here to look around, like I always do."

While looking, Janet asked Cream a question. "Do you treat all these Chao well?"  
"Oh, yes, I do," Cream replied. "I like to play fetch with them when business is slow. My throwing arm is pretty good."

After a few minutes of browsing, Janet noticed it was getting close to lunchtime. She headed for the Emerald City Diner.  
The bell on the door rang as Janet entered. She sat down at a nearby table and waited. It wasn't long before she was waited on by one of those roller-skating waitresses you see at diners.  
It was Amy. "Welcome to the Emerald City Diner. Here's a menu. I'll be back in a bit to take your order."  
A few minutes later, Amy returned to take Janet's order. Janet ordered a three-meat sandwich with fries and a medium-size cup of orange soda. (Yum. -Author)

It took a little time, but Amy returned before long, balancing exactly what Janet had ordered on her lightweight stainless-steel tray. The meal was delicious.  
Janet promptly paid for the meal when the check arrived, and left the diner. She opened a map of the city and planned a route to her next destination of the day: the city museum.

The museum had several paintings and artifacts that Janet took interest in. What she really wanted to see, though, was Rouge's diamond exhibit.  
When Janet got to the exhibit, Rouge was right in the middle of polishing one of her jewels so it'd shine. Upon seeing Janet, Rouge quickly pocketed her polishing cloth and greeted her. "Hello there. Please feel free to look around."  
Janet paused and gazed at one shimmering jewel after another. Many of them looked very rare, and she even saw a Chaos Emerald in the collection. Expectable but amazing.

After she left, Janet made her last stop the city jail. The jail was so high-security, the cells had no doors; Shadow Chaos-Controlled the prisoners in and out.  
While looking around, Janet spotted something on the roof. Shadow explained that it was a searchlight, just in case one of the prisoners did manage to escape.  
Obviously, the searchlight wasn't used very often. A few cobwebs were visible on it. Janet wanted to brush them away, but Shadow stopped her: "Sorry, but regular citizens aren't allowed to touch that equipment."

After that, Janet got back to her apartment just west of Prower Electronics. She was rather tired, and didn't want to go back out, so she decided to order pizza.  
Janet looked through the yellow pages until she found something good. She picked up the phone, dialed, and waited for the connection. "Hello, Hedgehog Pizza? I'd like a medium-sized pizza with sausage and pepperoni. Have it delivered to Emerald Apartments, apartment C-28. Janet, Janet Bernelli. Thank you"  
About half a minute after Janet hung up, there was a knock on the door. Janet opened the door, and there was Sonic the Hedgehog, carrying a pizza box.  
"Janet Bernelli?" he asked.  
Janet nodded. "You're really fast. I thought that '60 seconds or less' part of your ad was a misprint."

Sonic blushed a little as Janet paid him, took the pizza, and started to chow down. Between bites, Janet started to think to herself.  
"Tails is awfully young to be the president and head designer for Prower Electronics," she thought. "I mean, he's eighteen years old! I can't believe anyone eighteen years old can have such a high position."  
Janet continued to think. "And why does he need those glasses of his? He's awfully young to have vision problems, but I know he needs them. The other day he lost them, and he accused a coat rack of flirting while hanging his coat on my ear."

After the pizza was done with, Janet threw away the pizza box, washed up, brushed her teeth, and went to bed. Tomorrow, there would be more to come.  
-  
I am writing this on Saturday, but I'm pretty sure it's a coincidence. Stay tuned! 


	3. Trouble

New Challenges

Author's note: It's been some time since I last updated this story. Here's a new chapter for you!  
-  
Chapter 3: Trouble -

That Sunday, there were no incoming or outgoing prisoners to the city jail, so Shadow took a nap. That was the key factor in the events that would come to pass.

In cell 993, Dr. Eggman was examining all corners of his cell. He knew that almost every cell in the jail had some sort of secret exit, just in case an officer ended up locked in by mistake.  
Eggman removed part of the wall, revealing a security keypad. It was a cinch for him to hack the keypad and find out the ten-digit access code, which he promptly entered.  
A trapdoor opened up in the bottom of the cell, which led outside. Shadow was just waking up, and didn't notice Eggman's escape until it was too late.

Nobody else noticed the escape. Knuckles was picking up trash on the tour site. Amy was wiping crumbs off her tray. Janet was in her apartment, studying Japanese.  
Sonic was waiting for a pizza to come out of the oven so he could make a delivery. Tails was sketching another blueprint. Cream was feeding the Chao in her adoption center. Rouge was having all her exhibition jewels checked for scratches.  
But enough about everyone else, let's go back to Eggman.

Just down the street from the jail was the Prower Electronics' engineering labs, which were closed for the weekend. Nobody was there, not even mice. As you probably guessed, this is where Eggman headed.  
There were all sorts of parts and tools lying around. Eggman looked around, and grabbed a screwdriver and a wrench. What he had in mind would take mere hours to complete. And it wasn't good.  
-  
Whee. Really short chapter this time. Hope you don't mind, though. 


	4. Pulling Together

New Challenges

Author's note: It's been a pretty long time since I last updated this story. I figure there's no time like the present.

-  
Chapter 4: Pulling Together  
-

Several hours later, a UFO-looking thing exited Prower Electronics and rose above the city. It flew up above the streets, creating a large shadow on the ground below.

In the prison compound, Shadow woke with a start. "Wha-? What's going on outside?"

Shadow Chaos-Controlled himself up to the roof and saw the thing firsthand. He watched as it fired a lightning bolt at a nearby building, destroying it and sending people running and screaming.

In the crowd somewhere, Sonic screeched to a halt in the city park, still carrying a used pizza box. "What's going on? Is the city being attacked by aliens or something?"

"Sonic!" Knuckles yelled, joining Sonic. "I was right in the middle of picking up some junk left by the last tour group when I saw what was happening." He was holding a tour guide's megaphone and a pair of binoculars.

Tails and Janet rushed in as well. Janet had to clutch her tiara to keep it on her head, and Tails had a little trouble keeping his glasses on his face, too.

Rouge dashed into the park, having been right in the middle of polishing her jewel collection when the UFO attacked. She hadn't even gotten a chance to put down her polishing rag.

Amy had nearly run out of breath by the time she finished skating down to the park. She still had her tray and roller skates from her job at the diner.

It didn't take long for Cream and Shadow to join the crowd. Cream's Chao adoption center had been destroyed by the UFO, and Cream had all the Chao with her.

"I can't quite see that thing from here," Tails exclaimed. "Can you guys?"

Janet took the binoculars Knuckles was carrying and used them to get a good lock at the UFO-looking thing. "Hey, that thing's driver looks kind of familiar. When did I last see him …?"

Grabbing the binoculars and looking through them himself, Shadow was able to positively ID the driver. "What the-? That's Dr. Eggman, from cell 993 of the prison!"

Hearing this, Janet yelled something in Japanese. "We've got to do something!"

Sonic's face suddenly brightened. "Janet, the seven of us have gone up against this Dr. Eggman guy before. I don't doubt that we should still be able to use our old tricks. Tails?"

Tails nodded. "Right, Sonic. I still remember how to do that. Here goes!"

Leaving those words in the air, Tails crouched down on the ground and begin to whirl his twin tails like propeller blades until he lifted off. He was met with cheers as he began to fly up and head for the UFO.

The cheers turned to gasps, however, when Tails' glasses fell off.

Without his glasses, Tails just couldn't see the UFO, and he crashed into the side of a building. Amy roller-skated over and caught Tails' glasses on her tray in the nick of time.

As for Dr. Eggman, he burst out laughing upon seeing the spectacle (pun not intended).

"Okay," Tails said with a sigh, taking his glasses back from Amy, "I guess maybe our old tricks aren't as effective as they once were."

After a moment of thought, Janet snapped her fingers. "You may be right, Tails, but even though you guys can't use your old tricks, the doctor's no match for our _new_ tricks."

"_New_ tricks?" Rouge repeated.

"_New_ tricks," Janet confirmed. "Come in closer, and I'll explain."

-

Hm, I think this chapter kind of fell flat. Well, just review. 


	5. The Conclusion

New Challenges

Author's note: This should be the last chapter. Read it and tell me what ya think. And remember, Janet's character is for lease; contact me via e-mail for details.

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Chapter 5: The Conclusion

-  
"That's a great idea, Janet," Tails said once Janet had finished explaining her plan. "I'm glad I chose you for my assistant."

"Then let's get to it," Janet responded. She yelled something in Japanese, and her plan was put into action.

Cream took the pizza box Sonic was carrying. She wound up and heaved it at the UFO with the excellent throwing arm she'd developed while playing fetch with her Chao.

Meanwhile, Rouge leaned over and used her polishing rag to shine Amy's tray until it sparkled. Shadow used a quick Chaos Control to return to the roof of the jail.

The pizza box hit its target perfectly. There was some cheese stuck to the box's interior, which made it stick fast so Eggman couldn't get it off.

CLICK! Shadow turned on the rarely-used searchlight and beamed its light directly at Amy, who held up her tray so it reflected the light directly at the pizza box.

Tails took off his glasses and passed them to Cream, who looked among the Chao and found the one with the best flight stat. She gave Tails' glasses to this Chao, and directed it up in the air.

Janet snatched the megaphone Knuckles had picked up and used it to yell directions to the Chao. "Up a little … forward some … no, that's too far … adjust the angle a little … go up a little more … yes! Perfect! Now hold still."

In accordance to Janet's directions, the Chao held Tails' glasses in the beam of light that was reflected off Amy's tray. The glasses focused the light right on the pizza box, setting it on fire.

There was a silence among the eight anthropomorphic (yes, I'm sure that's how it's spelled) heroes as the smoke and fire drove Eggman's UFO into a crash landing in the center of town. Shadow called for backup while everyone else held him there, and Eggman was re-arrested in minutes.

"Dr. Eggman," Shadow told the doc as he was being told into custody, "you thought you could get away with all this."

"Such a thing isn't possible, though," Sonic added, "when we all work together!"

Sonic, Shadow, Janet, Tails, Cream, Knuckles, Amy, and Rouge all took turns high-fiving each other. Every one of them high-fived every other, which would make for a total of 28 high-fives. Sorry, I'm a math nerd.

Once the high-fiving was done, Janet looked around at all the destruction. "Looks like things are a long ways from returning to normal. I doubt the government can pay for everything."

"Don't worry about it," Tails replied. "Prower Electronics can spare some money to help with the repairs. But one company won't repair all this."

"I'll try to convince Hedgehog Pizza to spare some dough," Sonic suggested. "Not literally, of course."

"I think the diner can spare some cash as well," Amy added.

"And there's got to be some extra cash in the museum's funds," Rouge concluded. "I bet if everyone chips in, we can save this city."

Sure enough, everyone chipped in, and the government had more than enough money to restore the city in a matter of days. Everyone was happy in the end.

Maybe you're wondering where everyone is now, or maybe you aren't, but I'll tell you anyway. The last time I heard, Sonic and Amy were getting "hitched" …

… Tails was getting contact lenses …

… Janet was getting a large raise …

… Knuckles was getting "NO LITTERING" signs and trash cans installed throughout the Master Emerald area …

… Cream was getting her Chao adoption center rebuilt …

… Rouge was getting her museum exhibition closed down in favor of a jewelry store …

… Shadow was getting that big searchlight dusted off …

… and Dr. Eggman was getting a double life sentence in a higher-security cell than the one he was in before.

-

THE END

Note to Nail Strafer: It's been months since you did what you did with "Infinity Woods". I would appreciate it if you gave the fourth chapter of this story the same treatment, since when I wrote that chapter, it kind of fell flat. I believe that if anyone can do better than I did, you can. 


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